When The Stars Align

chapter thirty | i love(d) you

four days until

IT WAS JUNE 30TH, or well, technically, I guess that it was the early hours of July 1st. Ansen Grey had a plan, and the plan involved the capture of one of the royal children. It didn't matter which one. Ansen just needed a leverage before he continued.

That's what he told me, at least. It was actually a trap, for me. Ansen Grey wanted me dead. Captured. Just, away from his sight. After years of murders, robberies and outsmarting him when developing plans, he was done with me. He thought he had everything he needed.

I sneaked in through the passageway I always used, getting myself to the sleeping chambers of the royal family. It was an easy break in. The guards were knocked out easily. So much for the royal guard, they were easy to beat if you knew their battle tactics, which my father drilled in my brain from a young age - unintentionally. I just had to take the damn kid - Romeo, I decided on - and then I'd go. My sister would be scarred for life, thinking her child was safe between castle walls, but it was fine. I'd bring him back one day.

But no, something was off. I knew, because it was way too quiet. I knew, because it was two in the morning but a light came from each room. It wasn't the usual orange halo from the lightbulbs, but-

The doors opened. I'm blinded. Smoke fills the room, but it wasn't normal. It smelled different. Poison. I coughed as Atticus Rockfeller comes from behind and grabs my weapons and back, then pins me to the floor. My hood remains on as I felt the handcuffs around my wrists. Atticus Rockfeller captured his best friend - I'm sure he'll enjoy learning that later. I expected him to take a hood off. I expected anyone to take the hood off, but instead, for the entirety of the summer, they kept it on. No one came to question me until my trial. I didn't try to speak to anyone in that time, either.

It was only today that I learned that it wasn't Atticus that captured me, even if he had a shift that night. It was today that I learned, though, that Atticus knew that Leo was a shifter, and maybe it was the events of our time together, but he never bothered to mention it. He let a ten year old complete his shift, and in that time, Atticus was known as the capturer of the greatest criminal in recent history. But I only learned that the guard was him today.

Don't get me wrong, Atticus is an incredible solder who just wanted the night off to get wasted. Atticus has been practicing battle tactics since he was a kid, alongside my brother. But it hurts my pride that I got taken down by a ten year old in disguise. Being taken down by Atticus would probably be good bragging rights for him too. No wonder he doesn't mention it.

But that isn't the point. The point was that, that night, Ansen Grey ratted out on me. Ansen Grey gave the palace an anonymous message, saying that I would be there during the night to take one of the kids. He set me up to get caught by my own family. And in all honesty, I didn't even want to try fighting back.

I woke up in a jolt the next morning, after Leo and I talked. His confession made me think, and it made me think a lot. I didn't end up telling Lysander and the king anything about what the boy said, keeping his privacy. I said I would deal with it, it was no big deal.

Lysander and parts of the royal guard and military were sent to the towns that were attacked to examine and fix the damage. I didn't have to deal with my brother pestering me for the rest of the night, at least. The king, however, tried for a solid hour to get the information out of me. I just told Tori to tell her husband to leave me alone.

I check the clock on my bedside table. It was almost six in the morning. The sun was barely up. I could hear the birds chirping, though - the ones that haven't headed to Sylvaine for the winter, at least. I lower my head back down, wanting to go back to sleep, and wondering what woke me up in the first place.